There are various methods and devices for improving health conditions of humans without the use of medications.
When referring to traditional methods, one commonly used alternative medicine concerns the traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to the concept underling TCM, illness and disease are a result of a blocked meridian. Acupuncture is one tool used to restore the flow of a chi, by inserting needles into acupuncture points, located on the meridians. Shiatsu makes use of pressure, stretching, rubbing and corrective exercises to restore chi flow. At times, Shiatsu applies pressure points onto the body to facilitate the long term pressure on a desired channel.
In the Western world therapies were developed including psychotherapy, physiotherapy, reflexology biofeedback and neurobiofeedback, cognitive-behavioral therapy, social skills training, support groups, etc.
Devices and techniques have been developed to correct physiological as well as psychological and cognitive states of patients.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,294 describes therapeutic glasses for changing the psychological state of a patient and a method for using the glasses. The therapeutic glasses include at least one lens of a size sufficient to cover an eye of the patient. The lens restricts vision to a lateral visual field.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,610,081 describes methods and systems for the treatment of a migraine headache and related maladies through filtering of portions of ambient transmitted to the eye of a patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,819 describes eyeglasses for use by color blind individuals or viewers, which are constructed to have two lenses, one of which is clear and the other of which is colored. Each lens formed to have a reflective or mirror surface as viewed from the front of the eyeglasses. When worn by a color blind viewer, the combination of lenses is described to improve the color blind viewer's ability to discriminate between different colored objects, while the reflective or mirror surfaces cause the lenses to appear to be identical to other persons or viewers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,982 describes a method and apparatus for improving visual acuity during sports activities.